The Easiest Way to Get a U.S. Green Card for a Chinese woman
Chinese mail order brides are super popular nowadays. Hence, if you decided to marry Asian bride from any country, you must know the legal ways to bring her to the U.S. Getting the Green Card is one of such ways which offers the possibility of residing permanently in the U.S. and traveling on American territory without being obliged to have any visa or possible travel authorization.
How can a Chinese woman become a U.S citizen?
The Green Card is the thing than allows to legally live in the United States and then be able to claim American citizenship. So, how can your Chinese woman get the Green Card? To apply for a Green Card based on marriage with an American citizen, it must first be established that the marriage is not simulated (not concluded just for immigration purposes) and that both parties are free to agree to marry. If the marriage is legitimate, the first step is usually to file the I-130 Petition for Foreign Relations form, along with supporting documents. Form I-130A, Additional Information on Spouse and Beneficiary, must also be completed for petitions based on marital relationships.
The wedding
The easiest way to get the Green Card is to get married to your Chinese woman. Most people who manage to obtain a Green Card settle permanently in the United States. Of course, this procedure is still extremely popular, and some candidates for the American dream do not hesitate to abuse it by circumventing the law and sometimes entering into a marriage for remuneration. This is the reason why these procedures for applying for Green Card following a marriage are particularly controlled and why the immigration services are extremely suspicious and strict on this subject.
However, if you found great love in China and wanted to marry a Chinese woman in order to live with her, know that it is up to the Chinese woman to make the request and not to you. Once this request has been accepted, the Chinese woman will first obtain a temporary Green Card, which will be valid for a maximum of two years.
You and the Chinese woman go through an interview with an immigration officer who will be in charge of assessing the legitimacy of the marriage. After the two-year “trial period,” the immigration service sends the couple a form to fill out to check if the couple is still married. If this is the case, the final Green Card is granted to the Chinese woman. The validity of this green card is 10 years.
It should be noted that the procedures relating to the application for a permanent resident card must be carried out by the American citizen. The procedure to be followed is not the same, depending on whether the woman is already on American territory or abroad.
How does it work if your Chinese woman is legally living in the USA?
After the marriage ceremony and the receipt of the Marriage Certificate, your Chinese woman must complete a petition (Form I-130) stating that since you are now married, she wants to adjust her status as a permanent resident so that you can stay together without worrying about the expiration date of the visa.
With this petition, the woman must send:
- Form asking for permanent residence registration in the country (I-485);
- Biometric information forms (G-325A);
- Result of medical examinations (registered by immigration service) in an envelope sealed by the doctor or assistant nurse (I-693);
- Income tax information;
- Form proving that the husband will be financially responsible for her if necessary (I-864);
- Copy of the form with the country registration number (I-94);
- Copy of the passport and two passport photos (bride’s and husband’s).
How does it work if your Chinese woman is still abroad?
Chinese women who are going to marry an American but are not in the USA can apply for a wedding visa (K-1), then come to the USA and get married. All the following steps will be the same.
After immigration service receives the documentation, they will send a receipt (I-797) confirming that they have received the documents together with a tracking number. Through this number, you can check the evolution of your case on a daily basis through the immigration service’s website or by phone. After a few weeks, a trip to immigration service will be scheduled for your fingerprints to be registered, and after this registration, you will be called for an interview.
The interview at the United States
The couple can be interviewed separately or together, and they will ask you everyday things, very personal, such as what color is your husband’s toothbrush, what is the name of your spouse’s dog, or what school did he study. All of this is to make sure that the marriage is legitimate. Remember: you can choose to be accompanied by an interpreter, as well as a lawyer.
And why so much bureaucracy? Well, there are many cases of foreigners who come to the country in order to stay here at any cost. Some people pay to marry an American just to get the Green Card and then ask for a divorce. Based on this, the American government, over time, has become quite strict about marriages between its citizens and foreigners.
The interview at the Embassy of the United States of America in China
The embassy will communicate the date of the meeting in China for the final evaluation interview. The interview can last half a day. Presence is only compulsory for the Chinese woman (the non-American nationality). The applicant (the American citizen) does not have to appear for the interview.
Again, during the interview, you must be prepared to answer many details and extensive personal questions. As we mentioned above, you can expect even the question about the color of the carpet in the man’s living room.
How long is the wait time?
Although the answer may be a bit annoying for applicants, it is better to know the truth, and that the process to acquire residence based on marriage can vary; although it is not possible to say exactly how much the time is but an approximate approval can be varying between a year to a half of a year.
Summary on obtaining a Green Card for a Chinese woman
Does the process of getting a Green Card seem daunting? That’s not true. Still, it can feel like it will take you forever to get the desired permit. Check out this short tutorial with all the information you need to get a U.S. Green Card for a Chinese girl:
- Applying for a bridal visa. The American marriage lawprovides for the legal staying of foreign wives. Your future spouse needs to apply for a K-1 visa to stay in the country.
- Getting married to a Chinese woman. After receiving the visa, a woman must cross the U.S. border and marry within 90 days.
- Prepare the necessary documents for the petition. Before your spouse fills out the petition form, you need to ensure she has all the required papers to send in with the petition. You can see a list of documents above or on your state’s immigration website.
- File the petition. After receiving marriage certificates, Chinese womenshouldfile the I-130 Petition for Foreign Relations form stating that they’ll change their permanent resident status through marriage to U.S. residents. Besides, they need to send supporting documents along with the petition.
- Registration of fingerprints. A few weeks later, your Chinese lady will be called to the immigration office to have her fingerprints taken.
- Interview at the embassy in the United States. You need to prove that your marriage isn’t fake. The American husband also has to be present at the interview. He’ll be interviewed together or separately with his Chinese culturewife. Be prepared to answer lots of tricky questions.
- Final interview at the Embassy of the United States in China. That’s the last step a Chinese girlshould taketo obtain a Green Card. The interview may take several hours or even half of the day.
- Getting a Green Card. First, Chinese women receive temporary Green Cards, valid for 2 years. After that, the immigration office will check whether you’re still married. If there are no questions to you, a Chinese woman is issued a U.S. Green Card valid for 10 years.
If i marry a Chinese citizen can i live in China?
Yes, if you marry a Chinese citizen, you can apply to live in China. However, marriage to a Chinese citizen does not automatically grant you the right to reside in China. You would typically need to apply for a family reunion visa, known as a Q visa, which is issued to family members of Chinese citizens or foreigners with permanent residence in China.
The Q visa has two categories:
- Q1 Visa: Issued to family members of Chinese citizens or foreigners with permanent residence in China for a stay of more than 180 days. After entering China with a Q1 visa, you can apply for a temporary residence permit, which can be valid for up to five years and can be renewed.
- Q2 Visa: Issued for shorter stays (less than 180 days) for those visiting their Chinese relatives.
The process involves submitting various documents, including proof of marriage, your spouse’s Chinese ID, and other relevant paperwork. It’s advisable to check the most current requirements with the nearest Chinese embassy or consulate, as immigration policies can change.
Yes. It’s legal to marry a Chinese woman in the U.S. as long as you follow some of the required rules under American marriage law. Your fiancée needs to get a temporary visa and submit the necessary paperwork to get a Green Card.
A Chinese girl needs a fiancée visa (K-1) to stay in the U.S. before legally marrying. Then, within 90 days, Chinese women have to get married and apply for Green Cards.
The price can vary from case to case. For applicants living in the USA, services will cost approximately $1,800 (without medical examination). For applicants living abroad, it costs about $1,200 (without medical examination). The price of health examinations varies by provider.
The process of obtaining a Green Card is rather bureaucratic. Overall, it can take from 6 to 12 months. So you shouldn’t count on a quick result.